Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-01-14
Mrs.. Drusa's lA.troci,as Crime.

I A few days ago, Gov. Hill of New
York issued am exec utiW q order post
Iponing the eSeeutieaof Mrs. Roxalana
iDruse, under, sentence SafJ death for the
murder OF hen husbandy from Dec. ~,
the date, tixedin the sentenc, I'LL Feb.
%. The Governor says, he does this il
lorder,te give the State Legislature an
opportunity ,to,modify the law of capt
Ital punishment mits$ application, and
adds that as far as, he is, concerned the
case is>olosed and. the;Woman nust.suf-
fer the penalty of her .orime on the day
fixed unless in the meantime the law
shall have: been changed. The Gov
ernor says, that, it was a clear case OF
murder and that. he can find no reason
for interference with the penalty except
the4sex Of the'oondemned, which the.
law does not take. into account. He.
saws: Ill.,. @s..&= .$sSi.,. s5.s5
E The evidence shows that the killing.
was most brutal andl attlocietts in its
character. Briefly stated the facts
satisfactorily established ana as follows:
The family oonsisted,of the deceased
land Mrs. Dr.lse, the daughter Mary.
aged 10 years, the son George, aged 10
years, q nephew, Fnank Gates, aged IA
years. Al quarrel hadt occurred the
morning of. the. homicide between the
deceased and the defendant at the
breakfast table. The. deceased was
still at the table, and during the quar-
rel of words the defendant went into
another. room and tooksa loaded levol-
yer which was there and, putting it
under her APRON, returned and whis-
|pered,to the.boys to, go out of doors,
which, they did, leaving herself, the.
daughter Mary. andl the deceased in the
room. Mary then placed a rope
around; her father s>neck while he was
at the table, andjthe defendant fred the
revolver once or twice at him, wound
ing him., and he fell over sideways in
his. chair, while, the defendant, being
unable to make, the Z revpIver go off
| again, called to, the nephew, Frank,
who came into tho house, together with
the boy George, Whe~eupon the prisoner
gave: the revolver'to the nephew, and,
under a. threat of killing him
compelled him. to fre~it off two or three
times, and the deceased being hit by
the. shots rolled off the, chair upon the
floor, and then she seized an ak and hit
her husband on the head with it, and
continued hitting Hmm on the neck until
she chopped his head off. She then;
caused the head us, well as the body to
be taken into the paalor, and during
that day and evening the body was cut
up with an AK and was burned in the
stove. She threatened to kill the boys
If they told what had occurred. Mrs.
Druse had previously made. threats
against the deceased, and boasted that
she would be rid of him some day. g..
These and other facts almost too
horrible for description mark the case
as a plain one Of deliberate and pre-
meditated murder. There seems to be
scarcely q mitigating circumstance.
The daughter Mary aided and assisted
| her mother in the murder, and after the
conviction of her mother she pleaded
guilty to murder in the second degree,
which plea, on account Of her youth, the
fact that she was probably acting under
| the influence of her mother, and other
circumstances, was accepted by the
Distriet Attorney, and she was sentenced
to State Prison for life. >sgs.s az
L ~ =